The Danube River and its mouths area and coast line (delta) in documents and maps from the ancient times to the present.

The Danube River and its mouths area and coast line (delta) in documents and maps from the ancient times to the present. The Danube mouth as reported in documents and maps from the Antiquity to date.This mouth of the Danube and its Delta in particular, where a topic interest for many classical scholars (Herodotus, Erathostenes, Polybus, Ptolemey, Strabo etc) and recent scientific researchers who focused their attention on the number of Danube arms and the evolution of the Delta realm from the moment of its formation to the present configuration. The second half of the 19th century witnessed the publication of Sir Ch. Hartley’s map under the aegis of the Danube European Commission. The map was intended to help the selection of and correction works to one the arms in order to facilitate maritime navigation on it. Several other maps were printed in the 20th century by I.Vidraşcu, 1909-1911, the State Water Committee, 1964 and the Institute of Geography, 1983. In addition a series of topographical maps of Romania territory have also been produced. This sector was created as a result of accumulation processes, the north-south coastal marine currents, moving the river alluvia blocked the river mouth forming the Danube Delta and Halmyris lagoon, the whole becoming Razim Sinoie Lake Complex. This marine shore sector, due to the contribution of river alluvia, is characterized generally by the advance in the marine space, but the current conditions (reducing the volume of sediments from the Danube, marine minitransgression and anthropogenic interventions (by the dams raised at the mouth of the Sulina branch and Cape Midia) generate shoreline retreat in some areas. To identify portions of advancement and retreat, and setting the corresponding annual rates, existing topographic map series for a period of over 150 years, hydrographic measurements for 30 years and series of satellite images starting from 1975 were used.